Quick-break electric switch.



I E. SCHWARTZ. .QUICK'BREAK' ELECTRIC SWITCH. "APPLICATION FILED MAR.23. 1912.,

1,1 49,409 Patent-edAug. 10, 1915.

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QUICK-BREAK ELECTRI C SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED,MAR. 23. 1912.

- 1,149,409. Patented Aug; 10, 191-5.

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Fvigf UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD SCHWARTZ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO PELOUZF. MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

QUICK-BREAK ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A g; 10 1915 .lipplicati'on filed March'23, 1912. -Seria1No. 685,879.-

class adapted to insure a jump or snap -ac-' tion of the contacts as they are separated or brought together f01'-i3l18 purpose of pre-.

venting arcing and the invention particu' larly relatesto devices in which the contact members themselves are composed of rigid.-

' pieces and are therefore not capable of, ob-

-taining thespring snap action in and by themselves. F

To this end my invention is embodied in preferable form in thedevice-hereinafter described and lettered in the accompanying drawings. I r

In this application-the invention is disclosed as embodied in a mechanism adapted to be applied to the switch plug of an electrically heated iron but it is obvious that the invention, is adapted .for use in connection ovith. otherappliances'and for other pur- In the accompanying drawings which illustratethe invention F gure 1 is a side view in elevation of an electrically heated iron showing the switch plug in circuit closing position; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the ironwitli the handle and the switch plug both removed; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the switch plug or'block; Fig. l is a plan .view looking up and partly in horizontal section. of the switch plug or block and the other mechanism on the iron constituting in connection with said switch plug the features of my invention and in whichview'the plug 'is-shown in circuit closing position; Fig. 5 .is a similar view-showing the switch plug in circuit breaking position; Fig. 6 is a: vertical transverse section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4:; Fig. 7 is .a verti'cal longitudinal section'on the line 7-7 of'Fi-g. 4 and looking in the direction indicated by the. arrow in Fig. 4; Fig. 8 is an outer endview of the iron with the switch plug or block removed and 9 is an inner end view Of th6 switch plug or block.

Referring to the dra ings 1 is t m in body portion of the iron to which may be secured. by suitable attaching means, the ironing plate 2 and the resistance-carrying member 3. This latter member may be pro vided with a suitable resistance coil of any suitable character adapted to be electrically connected to rigid contact members 4: mounted onv the main body portion 1' and rising vertically therefrom. Adapted to cooperatewith these contact members 4, in order to close or open. the circuit through the same and thereby through the resistance carried by the iron, are two pairs ofcontact members 5 -5 of. which each pair is adapted toembrace one of; the contact members 4 when the members are adjusted tocircuit closing position. IEach pair of 'contact members 5 is mounted in a slot'6, eX-.

tending longitudinally of a switch plugor" block 7 made of non-conducting material and provided with'a knob 8, whereby it may be manually graspedand operated. This switch plug is provided on' itsnnd'er su-r' face with a metallic plate 9, which has .uflaiige's 10 extending along theout'er longi tudinal edges of the pliw, which fl. -es. a're turned upwardly sligh--y outside of the,

plug and are adapted to engage longitudinal grooves 11, form, :1 in the body portion 1 of the iron. By this arrangement the plug is adapted to be slid' in and out in the grooves and toward and away from the ontact members-Cl. The grooves or slots'll are open at i .ir'outer ends thus permitting the plug to be readily applied .to the iron and readily removed therefrom. On the under surfaceof the plug there. is

provided.- a combined holding and snap member 12, consisting of a tongueprojecting inwardly of the plug and preferably, 9.5

forme'd'by bending a strip integral with the plate'lO upwardly and back down to a position parallel with the surface of the plate. The end of the tongueis secured to the plate 10 bv means of'a pin 13, or similar means of attachment. This member has an in- ,clined head, 14, at its forward or. innerend,

preferably of'- an arrow shape to provide two inclines with abrupt shoulders 15, at

the rear ends of the inclines. From the rear end of the arrowhead, the member is inclined at 16 laterally-of the line of movement of the plug on each edge of the member. These inclines terminate in oppositeabrupt shoulders or cam projections 17. From these iivardly. tongue of the plug will first engage the ends shoulders the members are again inclined on each side thereof at '18, to near the end fthereot. 5 At the outer end of the member the same is provided with a stop heel, 1

formed by projections extending. laterally from the tongue.v This tongue member is adaptedto cooperate with a spring 20 fixed on the main portion 1, in order to give a jump or snap action to the plug at. the instant that the contacts are brought into closin g position or carried out of such posit on for the purpose of preventing arcing of the contacts. The sprin 20 is preferably astifi' flat spring and it is provided with an attaching base 21, a rigid base arm 22 and with converging, yielding. arms 23. The arms 23 converge closely together near the rear ends thereof and at this point are provided with inwardly bent shoulders or loops of the spring arms, the divergence of which will permit the ready entrance of the head and the pressure of the head will force the arms slightly apart and when the shoulders of the arrow reach the throat they will, undera greater resistance due to the greater inward projection of the shoulders 24 of the spring arms and the greater rigidity of the arms at this point, force the arms suflizcient'ly apart to permit the arrowhead to move past the same. As the head moves past these bends or shoulders, the arms spring against the sides of'the tongue and serve to retain the plug in position. In this position of the plug which is shown in Fig. 5, the tongue will be firmly gripped by the spring arms behind the head and the plug thus prevented from withdrawal except by the exertion of considerable force in an outward direction upon the plug, suiticient to carry the arrowheadoutwardly beyond the bends or shoulders of the arms. In

this position, the contact members will be out of engagement and the circuit broken. To close the circuit, the plug is pushed in "still farther, whereupon the incline 16 will ride against the shoulders or bends ofthe arms. gradually forcing the arms apart until the abrupt projections 17, of the tongu are brought into alinement with the abrupt projections afl'orded by the bends of the spring arms. On the continued pressure against the plug, the projections 17 will snap past the bends of the arms, the spring action of such bends serving to give the tongue and consequently the plug. a quick, forward,- automatic movement, which throws the contacts on the plug into circuit closing engagement with the fixed contacts on the body portion, thus establishing the circuit by a quick, automatic jump action, which will serve to prevent any danger of arcing between the contacts. The heel portion 19, of the tongue, in this inward movement of the plug to establish the closing of the circuit, is carried against the outer faces of the bends of the spring arms, so as to thereby limit the inward movement of the plug.

Figs. 4- and 5 show' the plug in closing pos1t1on.'

.iin outward pressure or pull on the plug, for the purposeofbreaking the circuit, car,- ries the inclines 18 against the shoulders or bends of the spring arms and when the shoulders orfcams 17 reach said bends, they will be caused .to snap or jump past the bends and thus automatically and quickly carry the movable contacts out of circuit closing position, thus breaking the circuit without danger of arcing. The removal. of the plug from the iron or other device to which it may be applied, may be effected by the exertion of a considerable force applied outwardly against or upon the plug, sufficient to carry the arrowhead beyond the bend or shoulders of the spring arms.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is 1. In an electric switch, the combination with a fixed contact member of a sliding block, a second contact member carried by said block, a non-conducting spring fixed relatively to said block and having an abrupt shoulder projecting laterally of the line of movement of the block and a springengaging member carried by said block and having an abrupt projection extending transversely of 'the line of movement of the block and in line. with the projection in said spring, substantially as described.

In an electric switch, the combination with. a fixed contact member of a movable switch plug, a second contact member carried by said switch plug, a member having converging spring arms, a member carried by the plug and adapted to engage said spring arms, said arms having gripping portions, means on said plug member to engage said gripping portions to hold the plug in place but in circuit breaking position and means on said member to engage said gripping portions to hold the plug in circuit closing position, substantially as described. 12

3. In an electric switch, the combination with a fixed contact member, a supporting device therefor, a movable contact member, a switch plug carrying the latter, aspring carried by the supporting device and having converg'ing spring arms, a spring engaging member carried by the plug, said latter member being provided with means operable tob'e gripped by .said arms to retain the plug in place on the supporting de- 'yiceand with means operable to being urged by the arms to effect'an automatic snap action of the plug, substantially as described r 4- In an electric" switch, the combination with a supporting body-of a contact member thereoma-slidable switch plug, a contact member on said plug, spring fixed,

on said body and having converging arms forming a throat and said arms havingabrupt approaching bends at said throat,

a spring engaging member carried by said plug and havingan arrow shaped head at one end thereof and with inclines meeting at a central abrupt shoulder operable to engage and be snapped past said spring shoulders as the plug is moved in or out, substantially as described.

5. In an electric switch, the combination With a supporting body of a contact member carried thereby, a'removable sliding switch plug" having means to engage said body, a non-conducting spring fixed in said body an'd having separated yielding arms,

said arms being provided with opposite lateral bends extending toward one another, ,a contact member carried by said plug, a

non-conducting member carried by said plugand having a laterally projecting head -2nd'day of March, A. D, nineteen hundred and twelve. I i I EDWFARD SCHWVAR-TZ. [L.s.] Witnesses: A. B. HATCH,

-KA'rHERINn-M. HEALY. 

